China’s global trade significance is significant, and any slowdown will affect worldwide markets.

Softening Chinese demand has caused a reduction in trade, with exports falling for three months and imports for five.

This could hurt US and international producers and exporters, and restoring lost demand may be difficult.

Supply-chain analytics firm LevaData CEO Keith Hartley noted that softer demand could cause inventory gluts, shrinking profits, and less business for commodity-exporting countries.

A prolonged fall in Chinese exports could hurt manufacturing industries and disrupt supply chains, but also allows countries like the US to diversify their sourcing methods and move manufacturing outside of China.